Our Christmas Market is back on Saturday 28 November, and this year we’ve got an amazing line-up of talented local stallholders joining us.
With around 45 stalls, live music, delicious local food and treats, and hands-on Christmas activities, it’s shaping up to be a fun and festive day out at Wastebusters.
From handmade gifts and local creations to plenty of Christmas goodies, there’ll be lots to browse, discover and take home.
Take a look below at some of the brilliant stallholders joining us this year with more to come, and get excited for the Wastebusters Christmas Market on 28 November!
Pirate Pickles specialises in small-batch, handmade jams, chutneys, pickles and curds, alongside a seasonal selection of fresh, organically grown vegetables.
Aria from MOONFISH jewellery is a Wānaka based artist working with the ‘Lost wax’ casting method of jewellery making, inspired by life and nature, making a range of organic pieces in sterling silver, bronze and gold.
The Rambling Shell is the work of Lake Hāwea illustrator Jodie Shellard, who creates vibrant, playful designs inspired by her South Island adventures. Her work has featured in NZ House & Garden and 1964 magazine.
Atelier Masori creates one-of-a-kind, handmade jewellery from recycled sterling silver and ethically sourced gemstones. Originally from Germany, the goldsmith draws inspiration from Aotearoa’s natural beauty.
Upcycled towel ponchos in funky patterns and colours, perfect for the beach, sauna or gym. A fun, sustainable way to give pre-loved towels a new lease of life.
Based in the beautiful Maungawera Valley, Alpine Blooms specialises in unusual cottage-style blooms, from roses and peonies to seasonal annuals and perennials.
Climate Change Bowl creates digital illustrations and acrylic works combining ski and snowboard imagery with climate change and social justice themes, aiming to spark conversation and inspire action.
NATIVA Bakehouse creates thoughtfully made, plant-based pastries using wholesome ingredients, with indulgent flavours and a focus on no gluten ingredients and no refined sugar.
Groun.ded by G is an emerging local artist creating colourful acrylic paintings and prints, and is excited to share her work for the first time.
Sidekick Soda makes refreshing sodas with real fruit, New Zealand honey and apple cider vinegar, with no cane sugar, stevia or artificial sweeteners.
Wānaka-based Leni The Label creates bedding, clothing and accessories featuring beautiful in-house prints and quality organic fabrics, with a focus on thoughtful, lower-impact production.
Anicca Wānaka creates colourful, hand-painted ceramics using locally sourced New Zealand materials, bringing a little magic to everyday moments.
Beads X Meg creates colourful beaded jewellery using gemstones, pearls and seed beads, designed to add a little colour to your everyday style.
Feather Craftsman creates unique, handmade pieces using reclaimed natural feathers and recycled materials, with every item carefully designed and crafted by Simon and Jodi.
Koru Bakery is a Queenstown-based small-batch bakery specialising in freshly baked cinnamon rolls, from classic cream cheese to Biscoff and Tiramisu flavours.
Sherbert Designs creates one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories from recycled fabrics, thoughtfully redesigned and made to be loved again.
Branch Creek Honey produces award-winning raw and creamed clover blend honey from hives on their family farm in the Cardrona Valley, sustainably produced by happy, healthy bees.
Homegrown Stones NZ creates unique, handcrafted jewellery featuring beautiful New Zealand stones, celebrating the natural colours and character of Aotearoa.
MINT Charitable Trust will be bringing a range of handmade jewellery, accessories, art, skincare and more, with every purchase supporting their work in the community.
Delhi Hut Wānaka serves authentic Indian street food packed with flavour, bringing the tastes and aromas of India to Wānaka.
Kat Heap creates handmade lino prints, upcycled collages and prints of her original pen and ink drawings, each with its own unique character.
Wisemoon Wellness creates sustainable herbal skincare products with locally grown and wildcrafted ingredients, thoughtfully made with love.
Emerald Creations creates beautiful home décor and accessories from 100% recycled cotton, including wall hangings, plant and hat hangers, bookmarks and keychains.
Amy’s Creative Flow Wānaka creates handcrafted silver jewellery, with unique pieces thoughtfully made here in Wānaka.
Wānaka Threads pre-loved clothing a new lease of life with beautiful embroidery inspired by Wānaka’s mountains, lakes and wildlife, alongside patches, napkins and reusable tote bags.
Belas Arts & Craft turns everyday cereal boxes into colourful, creative arts and crafts for kids, showing just how much fun can be had with a little imagination and recycled materials.
Casa Bakehouse is a Lake Hāwea artisan home bakery creating delicious sourdough bread, freshly baked pastries and sweet treats, all made with care.
Open Heart Connections invites you to share what Christmas means to you by adding to a collaborative community collage. Led by Ronja, the finished artwork will be gifted to Wastebusters.
This year our amazing Wastebusters whānau has been busy keeping everything we can out of landfill and supporting resourcefulness in our community while also working on bringing our dream of Wastebusters 2.0 into reality.
We were humbled and absolutely stoked to take home the Wānaka Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Supreme Business Award, along with the Community Contribution and Business Sustainability awards. This success was a powerful recognition of the dedicated mahi of our entire team, giving us huge confidence for the ambitious journey ahead.
We welcomed Aviette Musin on a fixed-term contract as our new Programme Manager for Wastebusters 2.0. Her expertise provided the dedicated, focused capacity needed to accelerate progress on this strategic goal.
Funding was secured through Queenstown Lakes Community Composting Project for the Compost Collect pilot, a joint venture with our neighbours Wānaka Greenwaste that will turn commercial food scraps into valuable compost, launching in 2026. We also intensified our focus on Construction and Demolition (C&D) materials, trialling diversion methodology and securing initial partnerships to divert waste from landfill. With our current site so space-constrained, we are extremely limited in the C&D materials which can be accepted for reuse, but this work will lay the groundwork for future diversion on a bigger site.
We made a compelling case to the Council for the necessary land expansion for Wastebusters 2.0 and prepared for the MfE Waste Minimisation Fund application process to support our expansion plans.
A continued focus for us this year has been on strengthening the Wastebusters whānau and ensuring we are equipped not just for the daily challenges, but for future growth. We continued to be a Living Wage employer, reflecting our commitment to the well-being and value of our staff. Feedback from the team via staff survey results highlighted strong morale and resilience within our workplace culture with 89% saying they enjoy working at Wastebusters and 93% feeling cared for by their manager.
The district’s rapid growth brings challenges as well as opportunities, particularly the Ballantyne Road/Riverbank Road roadworks which demanded flexibility and good humour from our team and customers throughout 2024. Despite the road cones, ongoing community support ensured our Reuse Shop continued to be a first choice destination for both locals and visitors. Improved donation flows and adding new changing rooms has made the shop operation smoother and more efficient for everyone.
Wastebusters’ partnership with events continues to go from strength to strength: including the trial of a food scraps collection from vendors. And our Recycle team did the huge job of relabeling all our events recycling bins to align with national recycling colours, making it easier for event-goers to know what to do. Wastebusters recycling trucks continue to be a much-loved presence in town servicing our 408 business customers, with the team doing a great job of keeping our aging fleet serviceable, in line with our kaupapa of keeping resources in use for as long as possible.
Our Reduce team has continued to deliver exceptional impact, with more than 11,000 people engaged in person through our education and engagement in the community. The Resourceful Communities programme inspires our community to take action and builds the knowledge and know how to engage in areas like repair, low waste living and textile waste diversion. It is proudly supported by QLDC’s zero waste district’s programme which recognises the impact of community connection for zero waste action.
We were stoked to join Environment Hubs Aotearoa, and we look forward to collaborating with this network and amplifying our collective impact on environmental action and resourcefulness across Aotearoa.
We worked with an impact consultant to implement an evaluation framework and behaviour change model to better plan, deliver and measure our impact, and have begun rolling out our learnings across all our programmes.
It was a busy year in advocacy, starting with participation in QLDC’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan process. We appreciated QLDC’s approach in bringing Wastebusters and other stakeholders in early in the process, which has resulted in a constructive plan for the next six years. Wastebusters has also made submissions on national and local level, including The Right to Repair Bill, the Container Return Scheme and the publicly notified resource consent for McDonald’s in Wānaka.
Ultimately, this year has been about delivering impact while building the foundations for a much larger and even more impactful operation, securing Wastebusters’ future for our community. The heart of our work remains resource recovery and community engagement, and we enter the next 25 years of zero waste leadership with great confidence, welcome community support and an unwavering focus.
Gina Dempster
General Manager
November 2025
Let us know what you love & what we could do better & you’ll go into the draw to win a $250 restaurant voucher!